The BJP on Saturday criticised the Samajwadi Party (SP) for giving a religious hue to the issue of terrorism, after a party leader said Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal was targeted because he was a Muslim.

SP spokesman Kamaal Farooqui made the statement on Bhatkal
in New Delhi Friday.

Bhatkal, wanted by police in 12 states for bombings and other terror activities in the last five years, was arrested from the India-Nepal border Thursday. He was arrested along with Asadullah Akhtar, his terror accomplice.

On Saturday, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) state spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said Samajwadi Party leaders "had stooped to a new low in their quest for minority votes".

"The issue of a terrorism is a national one and should not be seen through a religious prism," he said.

"Though we do not expect anything better from a party whose government in Uttar Pradesh is withdrawing cases against terror accused, the silence of the top Samajwadi Party leadership in the matter reflects the party's mindset on a serious national issue like terrorism," Pathak said.